Texas Rangers Blog

Fair play? ESPN columnist jokes about Rangers’ cocaine use

Is it too soon or too sensitive a subject to poke fun at the Rangers’ drug issues?

ESPN columnist Bill Simmons doesn’t think so.

Simmons had a web chat Thursday for the NCAA Tournament in which there were negative posts against the Rangers — some made by Simmons himself — about manager Ron Washington, who admitted this week he had used cocaine. The chat host usually has to approve the comments before they appear.

Some examples:

Simmons wrote: Ron Washington is manning the CBS controls right now. We’re getting jerked around left and right. I feel like I’m on a Southwest Airlines flight with turbulence.

Simmons: Our friend Hench just came up with the best possible Ron Washington excuse: “I saw what I thought was coke in our clubhouse, I was worried Josh Hamilton was doing it, I tried it to make sure it was coke, when it was, I threw it out.” That’s pretty airtight.

One poster wrote: “Tony Montana should be the Texas Rangers new mascot.”

Washington, the Texas Rangers manager, recently admitted he failed a drug test for cocaine last year. He also said he used marijuana and amphetamines while he was a player.

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is a former drug user. At one point, he was in and out of eight drug rehab centers and attempted to overdose in a suicide attempt. He said he was addicted to cocaine and crack but literally tried every drug on the street.

Simmons often uses humor and speaks as the voice of the fan. But some people might see drug addiction as a topic that shouldn’t be joked about.